Bert Auburn, the clutch placekicker for the Texas Longhorns, has finally been awarded a scholarship after proving his worth as a walk-on. Known for his game-winning field goals against Alabama and Oklahoma, Auburn's dedication and hard work have earned him recognition from head coach Steve Sarkisian as seen in a video shared on Instagram by "Texas Football."
During the team's first summer meeting, Sarkisian publicly announced the news, expressing his admiration for Auburn's work ethic and commitment throughout the offseason.
“The work ethic, they go through the same grind the scholarship guys go on all summer long,” Sarkisian said. “So when we can reward those guys, man, there's nothing better. Bert Auburn, you're on scholarship.”
The announcement was met with enthusiastic celebrations from the Texas football team, where Auburn said:
“Love all you guys. You guys are all like a family to me. Couldn't be more excited to get to work this summer with y'all. Hook ’em!”
Auburn's on-field performance speaks for itself, as he stands tied with Dusty Mangum for fifth highest career field goals in Texas history with 50.
Additionally, his pivotal 49-yard field goal against No. 1 Alabama and a crucial 47-yarder in the Red River game against Oklahoma underscore his invaluable contributions to the team.
Despite the challenges, including missed attempts, Auburn missed field goal attempts from 26, 50, and 47 yards in two games and made 9 out of 14 attempts (64.3 percent) over the first five games of the 2023 season.
As he transitions from a walk-on to a scholarship athlete, the Texas Longhorns look forward to his continued success on the field.
Kicker Bert Auburn remains a key player for the Texas Longhorns
The Texas Longhorns, with fourth-year kicker Bert Auburn, will open next season at home against Colorado State on Saturday, Aug. 31. Auburn is now the fourth scholarship specialist on the 2024 Longhorns roster, which currently has 84 scholarships. He joins junior kickoff specialist Will Stone, junior deep snapper Lance St. Louis, and summer enrollee punter Michael Kern.
In 2023, Auburn encountered difficulties with his holder, Sanborn, which led to five misses in the first five games, the same as his total misses in 2022. However, despite these challenges, Coach Sarkisian backed him.
“Bert's too good of a kicker to have missed a few here in the last couple of weeks,” Sarkisian said (per 247sports). “So we've got to get that cleaned up.”
As a result, Auburn set new records, including 19 consecutive field goals, 29 field goals and 143 points, establishing new standards for Texas.
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